Flu shots for all Nunavummiut

Anyone in Nunavut who wants a flu shot may now get one from the GN’s health department this winter.

Until now, the GN has offered flu vaccinations to those at risk: infants, older people, people with chronic lung diseases, and people with weak immune systems.

In healthy people, the flu is rarely fatal, though it can make them sick for a week to 10 days.

But for those at risk, the flu can lead to worse diseases, such as pneumonia, and can cause life-threatening complications.

In a press release issued this week, the GN now says they’re offering “universal coverage” to reduce the effect of influenza on families and on the economy.

Until now, about 40 per cent of Nunavut’s population has been vaccinated annually.